Method and apparatus for providing prepaid local telephone services

ABSTRACT

A system and method for providing prepaid dialtone services. The system includes a prepaid dialtone service center having an applications server that maintains a prepaid dialtone subscriber database including subscriber identification and service period information. The applications server is configured to automatically remind subscribers to renew their prepaid dialtone account and communicates with a local exchange carrier to place a hold on, or cancel, an expired subscriber account. The method includes the features of determining and monitoring a service period for a prepaid dialtone subscriber, communicating a reminder to the subscriber prior to expiration of the service period, and communicating with a local exchange carrier servicing the subscriber upon expiration of the service period.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/464,835, filed Jun. 18, 2003, pending, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/417,266, filed Oct. 12, 1999,pending, and these applications are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Subscribers of local telephone services often sign up for telephoneservices that are billed out on a monthly basis. Occasionally, somesubscribers who are financially capable of paying their bills havedifficulty making timely payments for their local telephone services.These late payments result in late payment penalties for the subscriberand added costs to the telephone service provider. In extreme cases thesubscriber's delinquency can adversely affect her credit rating. In anattempt to solve this problem, several types of prepaid telephoneservices are available that allow for a subscriber to prepay forservices.

One existing type of system treats prepaid local telephone services(hereinafter “prepaid dialtone”) in the same manner as a conventionallong distance prepaid card service. The local exchange carrier (LEC)and/or interexchange carrier (IXC) for a particular subscriber willforward all calls to a dedicated prepaid dialtone switch that willdetermine if the caller has a credit balance in her account. If theprepaid dialtone switch determines that the call can go through, it thenroutes the call to the local end office and maintains an activeconnection to the call so that the prepaid dialtone switch may monitorthe call and update its database after the call. A disadvantage of thisform of prepaid dialtone is that the telephone network needs to maintaina continuous connection to the database monitoring the prepaidsubscriber so that the time of the call is monitored and the chargeswill be debited on, for instance, a per second basis.

Another version of a prepaid dialtone system utilizes a separate billingservice that generates monthly statements and posts deposits received.This system acts to accept prepayment of services but does notadequately address the problem of late payments because there is nomechanism for automatically limiting a subscriber's usage orautomatically shutting off the subscriber's service at the end of theprepaid service period.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system and method ofimplementing prepaid dialtone services.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a prepaid local telephone service applications systemaccording to a preferred embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a prepaid dialtone database for use in the system ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates an advanced intelligent network structure in a localexchange carrier configured to cooperate with the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method of implementing prepaid dialtoneservices with the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5. is a flow diagram of a method of renewing a prepaid dialtoneaccount according to a preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides for an efficient and configurable systemand method for implementing and monitoring prepaid dialtone servicesthat avoids the billing difficulties and telephone network resourceusage of existing versions of prepaid dialtone services. FIG. 1illustrates a telecommunications system 10 according to a preferredembodiment. The system preferably includes at least one subscriber at asubscriber telephone 12 in communication with a prepaid local telephoneservice center 14 via a service provider network, often referred to as alocal exchange carrier (LEC) 17, that is part of the public switchedtelephone network (PSTN) 16. The subscriber telephone 12 may communicatedirectly with the prepaid local telephone service customer servicecenter 14 directly or via a voice recognition unit (VRU) 18. Thesubscriber telephone may be a plain old telephone system (POTS)telephone in communication with a standard subscriber line that providestelephone service to the subscriber's fixed address. As set forth inmore detail below, each LEC 17 preferably has advanced intelligentnetwork (AIN) capabilities. The VRU 18 may be any of a number ofcommonly available VRU's, such as those available from DialogicCommunications Corporation of Franklin, Tenn., that offer voice andtouch tone recognition and response abilities. Preferably, the VRU willbe configured to query callers of the service center 14 for informationand provide automated account information.

The service center 14 includes at least one customer service agent 20for receiving initial prepaid dialtone service requests and generalcustomer service questions. Each customer service agent 20 receives acall from a subscriber after the subscriber has been screened by the VRU18 to determine the subscriber's needs. Alternatively, the subscribermay access the customer service center without going through the VRU.The service center is in communication with an application server 22,such as those commonly available from IBM Corporation, containing aprepaid dialtone database 24, a processor 26 and a memory 28. Preferablythe processor 26 of the applications server 22 monitors the status ofthe various subscriber records and manages communications with thetelephone network 16 and other resources. In one embodiment, thecustomer service center 14, VRU 18 and application server 22 maycommunicate through a hub 29. A provisioning network 31 receives accountactivation and subsequent account status information generated by thecustomer service center 14 or applications server 22, via hub 19, when aprepaid dialtone subscriber establishes an account or when the accountstatus changes. The provisioning information generated by the customerservice center 14 or application server 22 may reach the LEC 17 for thesubscriber through any of a number of provisioning channels that theparticular LEC already uses when provisioning services.

As shown in FIG. 2, the prepaid dialtone database 24 includes a record30 for each subscriber to the prepaid dialtone service. Each record 30preferably contains fields for subscriber identification 32 and history34, the applicable service plan 36, the rate plan 38 (e.g., the cost forthe service period associated with the service plan), the service dates40, and account status 42. The subscriber identification field 32 mayinclude information such as subscriber name, telephone number, addressand a unique subscriber ID. The subscriber history field 34 may includetwo types of information: customer service notes and transactionrecords. The customer service notes may contain information entered bycustomer service agents 20 who have previously spoken with thesubscriber. The transaction records are a log of service activations andrenewals that are automatically generated when a subscriber initiates orrenews the prepaid dialtone service. Transaction records may includeprevious activation dates, times and dollar amounts, as well as thevalue identification number (VIN) 13 of the prepaid dialtone servicecard 11 (see FIG. 1) used and the telephone number from which theactivation/renewal call was made.

The account status field 42 reflects whether a prepaid dialtonesubscriber account is active or on hold. The service plan field 36 ofthe subscriber record 30 contains a product code representative of thespecific version of prepaid dialtone service applicable to thesubscriber. The service dates field 40 stores the start and end dates ofthe present period for which the prepaid dialtone service is active.

As shown in FIG. 3, a suitable LEC 17 may be an advanced intelligentnetwork (AIN) capable network. The network may include one or moreservice switching points (SSP) 44 in communication with one or moreservice control points (SCP) 46 via one or more service transfer points(STP) 48. A subscriber telephone 12 preferably is in communication withan SSP 44 over a voice channel.

The SSP 44 is a programmable switch having the ability to recognize AINtriggers for calls requiring special services. The SSP 44 may be an endoffice or tandem switch and communicates with a SCP 46. The subscribertelephone 12 communicates with the SSP 44 over a voice/informationchannel such as an ordinary telephone line. Multiple connections andcombinations of network elements are usable with the present invention.For example, a subscriber on a subscriber telephone 12 may alsocommunicate with a SSP 44 through one or more ordinary switches. In onepreferred embodiment, the SSP is configured to receive and store lineclass codes from the LEC provisioning system 31 (FIG. 1) representativeof the version of prepaid dialtone service offered by the particularLEC. The line class code is associated with a particular subscriberstelephone number and instructs the SSP to, for example, verify thatcalls from the subscriber are of the type permitted under the subscribedprepaid dialtone services.

The service control point (SCP) 46 is a network element containing logicand data necessary to provide functionality required for the executionof a desired communication service. A SCP 46 generally permitsseparation of service logic from switching functionality such thatadditional services may be developed without the need to provisionsignificant software in each individual SSP. A suitable SCP 46 is theAdvantage SCP manufactured by Lucent Technologies. In a preferredembodiment, the SCP 46 contains service logic for prepaid dialtoneservices and is also configured to receive a set of records ofsubscriber names, their telephone numbers and the service time limit atprovisioning. This subscriber information originates in the servicecenter 14 and the records are stored in the application server 22 andthe memory 50 in the SCP 46. The memory 50 may be integral with the SCPor may be a separate memory device accessible by the SCP 46.

The SCP 46 communicates with SSPs 44 over a data channel via at leastone service transfer point (STP) 48. A suitable data signal intended foruse with the STPs is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)signalling system No. 7 (SS7). A suitable SCP/SSP communication protocolis the AIN 0.1 SCP/SSP protocol set forth in Bellcore TechnicalReference TR-NWT-001285, entitled AIN Switch-Service Control PointApplication Protocol Interface Generic Requirements, Issue 1, August1992. Other configurations of AIN capable networks may be used toimplement a preferred method and system for providing prepaid dialtoneservices. Additionally, multiple service provider networks, alsoreferred to herein as local exchange carriers (LECs) 17, may access theservices of the prepaid dialtone provisioning system 10 so that theprepaid dialtone provisioning system will monitor and maintain allsubscriber account records for each of the LECs 17.

In one embodiment, the SSP 44 may be configured to recognize an off-hookdelay trigger from a subscriber line when a subscriber picks up thetelephone and dials a number. If the subscriber is a prepaid dialtonesubscriber, the SSP preferably contains a line class code associatedwith the subscriber's telephone number. The line class code for prepaiddialtone subscribers contains instructions for the SSP to verify thatthe telephone number dialed by the subscriber is a non-toll intra-LATA(Local Access and Transport Area), toll-free, or 911 call. If the SSPdetermines that the number does not fall within the allowable categoryof calls, the call is not connected. Instead, the off-hook delay triggeris escaped and the call is terminated to treatment in the SSP. If thecall made by the prepaid dialtone subscriber is an allowable call, theSSP communicates with the SCP and the SCP verifies that the prepaiddialtone account for the subscriber is valid. If the account is stillvalid, the SCP instructs the SSP to connect the call.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a method of implementing prepaid dialtoneservice is described below with relation to the system shown in FIGS.1-3. When a subscriber 12 desires to participate in the prepaid dialtoneservice, the subscriber must first purchase a prepaid dialtone card 11.The cards may be purchased from designated retail establishments. Thecards will each have a unique value identification number (VIN) thatassociates a fixed value to a particular card in a prepaid telephonecard database. Once a card 11 has been purchased, the customer servicecenter 14 and the VRU 18 will serve as the primary interface forproviding the service to the subscriber 12. Although a card having aunique VIN is described herein, a card is not necessary. The VIN may beprinted on other items, or may be verbally provided to a subscriber uponpurchase, in other embodiments.

To initiate service after purchasing a card 11, the subscriber 12 willcall into the service center 14 to initiate service. In one embodiment,all calls to the service center first arrive at a VRU that screens thecall and offers a menu of touchtone response options to direct the callto an appropriate location. In other embodiments, calls to the servicecenter may arrive directly at the service center 14. The service center14 may be a live operator who, in real time, assists the caller. Inanother embodiment, the service center may be an Internet-based servicecenter capable of accepting and processing service requests. Thesubscriber 12 will provide the customer service agent 20 withinformation such as the address for the service and the VIN number 13 ofthe card 11. After verifying the address information and verifying thatthe VIN number 13 is valid, the customer service agent 20 will providethe subscriber with a telephone number and installation date for theservice.

The customer service agent will communicate with the applications server22 to initiate a service order that may be processed through a standardautomated provisioning system in communication with the LEC 17 for thesubscriber 12. Preferably the interface used for provisioning theprepaid dialtone service is an interface such as a standard electronicdata interface (EDI) or other type of interface which is capable ofconnecting to customized interfaces used by the specific LECs of thesubscribers to the prepaid dialtone service. After receiving a newprepaid dialtone service request, the service order is entered on theprepaid dialtone database and a provisioning request will be sent toprovisioning system 31 and, in a preferred embodiment, results in allthe necessary Universal Service Order Codes (USOCs), line class codeorders, and field identifiers (FIDs) for the requested version ofprepaid dialtone being delivered to the LEC. The USOC is preferably apackage USOC that defines a set of individual feature USOCs (e.g., callwaiting, voicemail, etc.). Thus, the package USOC represents to the LECthe general type of service order and all the individual featurespackaged into the service order. In another embodiment, individualfeature USOCs may be used in an unbundled form to provide the serviceorder. Line class codes refer to a switch based translator for aparticular service that decides which call features are allowed and FIDsrefer to codes in a service order that are related to particularservices or features.

In a preferred embodiment, the LEC 17 may implement the prepaid dialtoneservice in one of two ways depending on the state rules for handlinglocal telephone calls. In states such as Ohio and Indiana where there isno metered service for local calls, the LEC may implement the prepaiddialtone service for a particular subscriber by storing a line classcode associated with the subscriber and the prepaid dialtone service inthe SSP. In a preferred embodiment, the SCP does not interact with theSSP and the SSP handles all prepaid dialtone calls. In anotherembodiment, the LEC of states with no metered service for local callsmay provide the appropriate SCP with the subscriber's telephone numberand an account status indicator (e.g., a variable indicating whether thesubscriber account is current or expired) to a memory 50 (see FIG. 3)associated with, or in communication with, an SCP 46 so that the SCP maycontrol whether the SSP may continue connecting local telephone callsfor the subscriber. With this network implementation of the prepaiddialtone service, the SSP 44 and SCP 46 cooperate to make sure thesubscriber's prepaid dialtone account is current and that the call madeby the subscriber is a local call. In either embodiment, the LEC doesnot continuously meter the call, debit a monetary amount associated witha call, or put a limit on the time of any local calls. Other networkimplementations, such as an AIN network where the SCP performs both thetasks of identifying local calls and account status, are alsocontemplated.

In states where the local telephone services are metered, for example inIllinois, Wisconsin or Michigan, the LEC 17 will again preferablyprovide the SSP with a line class code associated with the subscriber'stelephone number that will cause the SSP to permit local calls. Inmetered states, however, the prepaid telephone services are implementedin the SCP by providing the SCP 46 with the subscriber's telephonenumber, a day counter and a call counter to provide a fixed number oflocal telephone calls to a subscriber for a given service period. Thenumber of calls allowed may be set at a number greater than the averagenumber of calls subscribers make in a given time period to allow fornormal calling habits. For example, assuming that 270 calls per month isthe average number of calls, the SCP may be programmed to allow 400calls in a thirty day period for prepaid dialtone subscribers. As withLECs in the non-metered states, the SCP and SSP do not continuouslymonitor prepaid telephone calls, do not associate a value/rate with acall or debit a value from an account, and do not limit the length oflocal telephone calls. In the metered call states, however, the SCP willkeep track of a set service period, decrement a call counter every timea local call is completed, and prohibit all calls after a predeterminednumber of calls have been completed in the service period.

In either situation, metered state or non-metered state, the SCPpreferably does not communicate with the prepaid database. As shown inFIG. 4, the prepaid database 24 keeps track of the service period foreach subscriber 12 and operates to automatically remind subscribers ofservice expiration due dates and automatically communicate service orderchanges to the LEC if a prepaid dialtone subscriber's account status haschanged. As soon as an account is established (at 70), the prepaidsubscriber database determines the service period end date for thesubscriber (at 72). In one embodiment, a subscriber may renew for afixed 30 day period. For new subscribers, the application server 22 willdetermine the date corresponding to 30 days from the serviceinstallation date and store that information in the service dates field40 of the subscriber record 30 in the prepaid dialtone database 24. Forrenewing subscribers, the applications server will determine the datecorresponding to thirty days from the end of the subscriber's currentservice period. For renewing subscribers who are renewing after theexpiration of their previous service period, but before the expirationof the grace period (see below), the service period end date iscalculated as 30 days from the date the subscriber's service becomesactive. As with new subscribers, the service period dates are stored inthe service dates field 40 of the subscriber record 30. Although aservice period of 30 days is specifically addressed her, any serviceperiod length may be implemented as desired.

After determining the service period, the applications server 22monitors the subscriber service periods by scanning the prepaid dialtonedatabase 24 on a daily basis (at 74). At a desired time before theexpiration of a subscriber's service period, the applications serverwill send instructions to a notification service to automatically notifythe subscriber that the service period will expire in a certain numberof days (at 76). In one embodiment, the automatic notification may be inthe form of a voice mail that supplies termination date information andis automatically generated and delivered five days before the serviceperiod expires. In another embodiment, the notification service may bean automatic calling device that will telephone the subscriber and playa prerecorded reminder message. In other embodiments, an additionalrenewal reminder message may be provided, other reminder periods may beimplemented or the subscriber may be given the option of selecting howfar in advance she wishes to be reminded to renew and/or informed of aservice termination date.

After notifying the subscriber, the applications server continues tokeep track of subscriber account status and check on whether thesubscriber has renewed (at 78). If the subscriber has renewed, theprocess begins again with the applications server calculating the newservice period and so on. If the service period expires and thesubscriber has not renewed in time, the applications server generates aninstruction directed to the subscriber's LEC 17 to change the subscriberaccount status (at 80). In a preferred embodiment, the applicationsserver allows the subscriber a grace period in which to renew heraccount by instructing the LEC to put the account on hold, such as avacation-type hold or other suspend/hold-type account, for example whereno dialtone service is provided but where the telephone line is stillconnected. In this manner, the prepaid dialtone subscriber is given aperiod of time to renew the account without the account being terminatedand the subscriber having to pay a fee for reconnecting the telephoneservice and receiving a new telephone number in addition to renewing theprepaid dialtone service. In another embodiment, the prepaid dialtoneservice may allow for emergency calls, such as a 911 call, during thegrace period while blocking all other call attempts.

The applications server will continue to monitor the subscriber'saccount on a daily basis during a predetermined grace period to see if arenewal has been received (at 82). The grace period may be any desiredlength of time and in a preferred embodiment is five days. At the end ofthe grace period, the applications server will automatically sendinstructions to the LEC to terminate and disconnect the subscriber'stelephone service (at 84). In other embodiments, the applications servermay just automatically send a termination order to the LEC at the end ofthe subscriber's service period so that the prepaid telephone serviceand the telephone line are terminated immediately after the serviceperiod expiration date.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a process for renewing a prepaid dialtoneservice account is shown. While a subscriber's account is still active,or within a grace period after expiration of the prepaid dialtoneservice period, the subscriber may renew her account for another serviceperiod. The subscriber will again obtain a non-reusable prepaid dialtonecard having a fixed monetary value from a retail location (at 86). Thesubscriber will dial a service center 14 telephone number and a VRU 18will receive the telephone call (at 88, 90). The VRU 18 will prompt thesubscriber to select from a menu of options and the subscriber willselect the account renewal option (at 92, 94).

When the VRU receives the subscriber's menu selection, the VRU will thenrequest information from the subscriber including the VIN number of theprepaid dialtone card that the subscriber purchased (at 96). In oneembodiment, the VRU 18 will determine if the caller is calling from herhome and match the automatic number identification (ANI) information ofthe home number to an established prepaid dialtone account. The VRU 18,via the applications server 14, will verify with the prepaid dialtonecard database that the VIN is valid and that the monetary valuerepresented by the card is sufficient for the services requested. Theapplications server will renew the subscriber's account for anotherservice period once the VIN and amount are verified (at 98). The VRU mayalso inform the subscriber of the new end date of the prepaid dialtoneservice she has just purchased.

In another embodiment, subscribers may pay for prepaid telephone serviceusing a credit card rather than a single use prepaid dialtone cardpurchased at a retailer. In this embodiment, the VRU would ask thesubscriber to select between a prepaid card or a credit card as a methodof payment, and the applications server would interact with theappropriate credit agency to determine if the credit card transaction isvalid.

An advantage of the presently preferred system and method is that use ofLEC resources is minimized. The LEC is not required to constantlymonitor prepaid telephone calls and does not keep track of monetaryvalues associated with subscriber accounts. Communication with theservice center 14 is minimal and does not tie up LEC resources. In oneembodiment, the LEC will maintain a call counter and a service periodclock for prepaid dialtone subscribers in metered states. In non-meteredstates, no call counter or service period clock is necessary.Preferably, the service center, via a provisioning network, onlycommunicates with an LEC to initially establish prepaid dialtoneservices or to change the status of an account if a subscriber fails torenew or renews late.

Unless the service center communicates information to the contrary, theLECs will automatically maintain active status for currently activeprepaid dialtone subscribers. In metered states, the LEC willautomatically reset the service period and call counter stored in memory50 in the SCP 46 at the end of a given subscriber's service period. Innon-metered states, the LEC will maintain active status for the prepaidsubscribers unless a special instruction (such as a hold or a disconnectinstruction) is received. In this manner, LEC resources are not burdenedby the bulk of the administrative overhead of managing the prepaidsubscribers. Instead, the subscriber accounts and account maintenanceare handles by the remotely located service center 14.

In a preferred embodiment, different types of prepaid dialtone servicesmay offered using the disclosed system and method. For example, inembodiment subscribers may be able to select a basic or a premiumservice for prepaid dialtone. Both basic and premium services could bebased on a 30-day service period. The basic service features may includebasic dialtone, a state-specific local calling plan, a directorylisting, toll call blocking, PIC none (designating a feature that blocksa subscriber from utilizing long distance services), directoryassistance (DA) and directory assistance with call completion (DACC)blocking, operator call (0+/0−) blocking except in areas without 911,listing services, and no customer billing. The state-specific localcalling plans may be as follows based on state/regional call meteringregulations: Indiana and Ohio—unlimited local calling; Illinois (bands A& B calling permitted, band C blocked), Michigan, and Wisconsin—a presetlimit on the number of local telephone calls allowed per service period.The basic prepaid dialtone service preferably has its own USOC, lineclass codes and FIDs and these would be invoked by the serviceinstructions sent out to the LEC by the applications server. The premiumservice may include all the features of the basic service and thefollowing features: voice mail, caller ID with name, call waiting, andnon-published listing. As with the basic service, the premium servicepreferably has its own packaged USOC defining all the aspects of theservice to the LEC supporting the subscriber.

In addition to the basic sign-up and renewal functions described above,the service center, via the VRU may allow subscribers who have existingprepaid dialtone service to retrieve account information on an as-neededbasis. Utilizing the same telephone number that allows for thesubscriber to sign-up for and renew service, preferably a toll-freenumber, a subscriber may access information offered by menu drivencommands at the VRU. Such information may include the type of prepaidservice the subscriber has established, the date the prepaid servicewill expire, etc. The VRU 18 preferably also allows subscribers toselect an option to be connected to a customer service agent 20.

As has been described above, by using a remotely located prepaiddialtone service center and an automated application server that tracksservice periods and provides electronic provisioning instructions, andby providing local calls limited by service period and not a per-calltime charge, LEC resources are not burdened by the continuous monitoringand administrative tasks of previous systems. Additionally, the customerservice center and application server provide prepaid dialtone planflexibility and avoids the need to replicate efforts and speciallyprogram hardware at each and every LEC interested in offering theprepaid dialtone service described above. The preferred method canpermit automated sign-up and renewal of prepaid dialtone services. Theprepaid dialtone services provide subscribers with the ability to managetheir telephone costs and allow LECs to reduce the billing difficultiesassociated with subscribers.

It is intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded asillustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that thefollowing claims, including all equivalents, are intended to define thescope of this invention.

1.-13. (canceled)
 14. A method of providing prepaid local telephoneservices to a subscriber having a telecommunications device connected toa subscriber line and in communication with a telephone network via thesubscriber line, the method comprising: communicating instructions to alocal exchange carrier from a prepaid local telephone service network toactivate prepaid local telephone services for the subscriber; monitoringa prepaid local telephone service period for the subscriber at theprepaid local telephone service independently of telephone call activityby the subscriber at the local exchange carrier, wherein the prepaidlocal telephone service network monitors the prepaid local telephoneservice period without monitoring a duration of individual calls fromthe telecommunications device.
 15. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising establishing a subscriber account on the prepaid localtelephone service network, wherein establishing the subscriber accountcomprises: receiving a telephone call at the prepaid local telephoneservice network; associating the subscriber account at the prepaid localtelephone service network with a telephone number of the subscriber;receiving payment information for the subscriber account; anddetermining the prepaid local telephone service period for thesubscriber account. 16.-19. (canceled)
 20. The method of claim 14,wherein communicating instructions to the local exchange carriercomprises transmitting a service order to the local exchange carrier viathe telephone network.
 21. The method of claim 15, wherein receivingpayment information comprises receiving a value identification numberassociated with a fixed value in a prepaid telephone card database. 22.The method of claim 15, wherein determining a prepaid local telephoneservice period comprises assigning a number of days for the prepaidlocal telephone service period.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein thenumber of days comprises thirty days.
 24. The method of claim 14,wherein communicating instructions to the local exchange carriercomprises instructing sending instructions to a switch in the localexchange carrier to only connect a telephone call made by the subscriberof the prepaid local telephone call service if the telephone call is oneof a non-toll intra-LATA call, a toll-free call and a 911 call.
 25. Amethod of providing prepaid local telephone services to a subscriberhaving a telecommunications device connected to a subscriber line and incommunication with a telephone network via the subscriber line, themethod comprising: receiving a set of prepaid local telephone serviceinstructions at a local exchange carrier from a prepaid local telephoneservice network, the set of prepaid local telephone service instructionsidentifying a subscriber of prepaid local telephone services with atelephone number of the subscriber and identifying a category oftelephone calls permissible by the subscriber; receiving a call at thelocal exchange carrier from a telephone associated with the telephonenumber of the subscriber, the call directed to a telephone number;comparing the telephone number with the set of prepaid local telephoneservice instructions and verifying that the telephone number fallswithin the category of telephone calls permissible by the subscriber;verifying that the subscriber has a valid account with the prepaid localtelephone call network; and connecting the call only if the telephonenumber dialed by the subscriber falls within the category of telephonecalls permissible by the subscriber and the subscriber has a validaccount with the prepaid local telephone service network, wherein thelocal exchange carrier connects the call without monitoring a durationof the call and without monitoring a monetary value of the call.
 26. Themethod of claim 25, wherein the category of telephone calls permissiblecomprises one of a non-toll intra-LATA call, a toll-free call and a 911call.
 27. A system for providing prepaid local telephone servicescomprising: a server having a processor and a prepaid subscriberdatabase, the server configured for communication with a local telephonenetwork; wherein the server is adapted to communicate with the localtelephone network to instruct the telephone network to permit localtelephone calls from a subscriber associated with a subscriber telephonenumber in the prepaid subscriber database; and wherein the server isfurther adapted to monitor a prepaid local telephone service period forthe subscriber without monitoring a duration of telephone calls made bythe subscriber and without monitoring a monetary value of the telephonecalls during the prepaid local telephone service period.
 28. The systemof claim 27, wherein the server is further configured to communicatewith the telephone network to instruct the telephone network to prohibitlocal telephone calls from the subscriber upon expiration of the prepaidlocal telephone service period.
 29. The system of claim 27, wherein theserver is further configured to communicate with the telephone networkto instruct the telephone network to maintain a telephone service forthe subscriber, but withhold a dialtone, upon expiration of the prepaidlocal telephone service period, and to monitor a grace period.
 30. Thesystem of claim 29, wherein the server is further configured tocommunicate with the telephone network, upon expiration of the graceperiod, to instruct the telephone network to terminate and disconnecttelephone service for the subscriber.
 31. The system of claim 27,wherein the server is further configured to automatically communicateservice termination date information to the subscriber prior to anexpiration of the prepaid local telephone service period.